What is in this leaflet

It does not contain all the available information. It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.

All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking this medicine against the benefits they expect it will have for you.

If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Keep this leaflet with the medicine.

You may need to read it again.

What OxyContin tablets are taken for

OxyContin tablets contain oxycodone hydrochloride. Oxycodone belongs to a group of medicines called opioid analgesics.

OxyContin tablets are used to relieve moderate to severe chronic pain when other forms of treatment have not been effective.

Your doctor, however, may prescribe it for another purpose.

Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why it has been prescribed for you.

As with all strong painkillers, your body may become used to you taking OxyContin tablets. Taking it may result in physical dependence. Physical dependence means that you may experience withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking OxyContin tablets suddenly, so it is important to take it exactly as directed by your doctor.

This medicine is only available with a doctor's prescription.

Before you take it

Long-term use of OxyContin tablets may result in a decrease in sex hormone levels which may affect sperm production in men and the menstrual cycles in females. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns.

When you must not take it

Do not take OxyContin tablets if you:

have any breathing problems such as acute asthma, respiratory depression (breathing slows or weakens) or other obstructive airways disease

are severely drowsy or have a reduced level of consciousness

suffer from irregular heartbeats or changes in the way the heart beats

have heart disease due to long term lung disease

have just consumed a large amount of alcohol, regularly consume large amounts of alcohol or have confusion and shaking due to alcohol withdrawal

suffer from convulsions, fits or seizures

have a head injury, a brain tumour or have raised pressure within the head, brain or spinal cord

have sudden, severe abdominal pain

have a condition where your stomach empties more slowly than it should or any condition that obstructs the stomach/bowel or affects bowel transit (movement of food or ingested material along the bowel)

have swallowing difficulties or narrowing of the oesophagus

have severe liver or kidney disease

are about to have an operation (including surgery on your spine for pain relief in the next 24 hours) or have had an operation within the last 24 hours

take a medicine for depression called a 'monoamine oxidase inhibitor' or have taken any in the last two weeks.

Do not take OxyContin tablets if you are allergic to oxycodone, opioid painkillers, or any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet.

Do not take this medicine after the expiry date (EXP) printed on the pack.

If you take it after the expiry date has passed, it may not work very well.

Do not take it if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering.

Do not take this medicine if you are pregnant or intend to become pregnant whilst taking this medicine.

Like most medicines of this kind, OxyContin tablets are not recommended to be taken during pregnancy. Your doctor will discuss the risks of taking it if you are pregnant.

Do not give this medicine to a child younger than 12 years of age.

Safety and effectiveness in children younger than 12 years of age have not been established.

Before you start to take it

Tell your doctor if you have allergies to any other medicines, foods, preservatives or dyes.

Tell your doctor if you have or have had any medical conditions, especially the following:

low blood pressure

increased prostate size or difficulty passing urine

chronic lung, liver or kidney disease

disease of your gall bladder or bile duct

inflammation of the pancreas

underactive adrenal glands

underactive thyroid gland

inflammatory bowel disease or recent abdominal surgery

diverticulitis (inflammation of bowel wall)

oesophageal, stomach or intestinal disorders (including cancer in these areas) resulting in narrowing of the oesophagus, stomach or intestines

Oxycodone given to the mother during labour may cause breathing problems and signs of withdrawal in the newborn.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed.

Oxycodone can pass into the breastmilk and can affect the baby. Your doctor can discuss with you the risks involved.

If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell them before you take any OxyContin tablets.

Taking other medicines

Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines or dietary supplements, including any that you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.

Some medicines and OxyContin tablets may interfere with each other. These include:

medicines to treat depression, psychiatric or mental disorders

medicines to treat depression belonging to a group called 'monoamine oxidase inhibitors' must be stopped 14 days before OxyContin tablets are taken

medicines to help you sleep

medicines to put you to sleep during an operation or procedure

medicines to relax your muscles

medicines to lower blood pressure

quinidine and other medicines to treat the heart

medicines to treat convulsions e.g. phenytoin, carbamazepine

medicines to thin the blood e.g. coumarin derivatives such as warfarin

cimetidine, a medicine to treat stomach ulcers or heartburn

medicines to relieve stomach cramps or spasms, to prevent travel sickness or symptoms of allergies

medicines to treat Parkinson's disease

medicines to treat urinary incontinence

medicines to stop nausea or vomiting e.g. metoclopramide

other pain relievers including other opioids

antifungals e.g. ketoconazole

antibiotics e.g. clarithromycin, rifampin

medicine to treat HIV infection and AIDS e.g. ritonavir

alcohol

St John's wort (a herbal preparation)

grapefruit and grapefruit juice.

These medicines, dietary supplements or alcohol may be affected by OxyContin tablets, may affect how well OxyContin tablets work or may increase side effects. You may need to use different amounts of your medicines, or take different medicines.

Your doctor or pharmacist has more information on medicines and dietary supplements to be careful with or avoid while taking this medicine.

How to take OxyContin tablets

How much to take

Your doctor will tell you exactly how much to take.

Follow the instructions given to you by your doctor and pharmacist exactly.

How to take it

Swallow OxyContin tablets whole with a full glass of water or other fluid.

OxyContin tablets should be taken one tablet at a time with enough water to ensure complete swallowing immediately after placing it in the mouth.

Do not pre-soak, lick or wet the tablet before placing in your mouth.

Do not break, cut, chew, crush or dissolve the tablets.

OxyContin tablets are only designed to work properly if swallowed whole. The tablets may release all their contents at once if broken, cut, chewed, crushed or dissolved which can be dangerous and cause serious problems, such as an overdose, which may be fatal.

If you have trouble swallowing your tablets whole, talk to your doctor.

You must only take OxyContin tablets by mouth.

Taking this medicine in a manner other than that prescribed by your doctor can be harmful to your health.

There are no data on rectal administration of OxyContin tablets, therefore rectal administration of OxyContin tablets is not recommended.

When to take it

Take OxyContin tablets every 12 hours.

Take OxyContin tablets regularly to control the pain.

Taking them at the same time each day will assist in ensuring the best effect in improving your pain. If however, you begin to experience worsening pain and you are taking your OxyContin tablets as prescribed, contact your doctor as your dosage may have to be reviewed.

How long to take it

Continue taking your medicine for as long as your doctor tells you.

If you stop taking this medicine suddenly, your pain may worsen and you may experience withdrawal symptoms such as:

body aches

loss of appetite, nausea, stomach cramps or diarrhoea

fast heart rate

sneezing or runny nose

chills, tremors, shivering or fever

trouble sleeping

increased sweating and yawning

weakness

nervousness or restlessness.

If you forget to take it

If you forget to take your tablets, contact your doctor or pharmacist for advice.

Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose you have missed.

This will increase the chance of you getting unwanted side effects.

If you have trouble remembering when to take your medicine, ask your pharmacist for hints.

For example, take your medicine at the same time each morning and evening such as 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

If you take too much (overdose)

Immediately telephone your doctor or the Poisons Information Centre (Australia: telephone 13 11 26) for advice, or go to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital, if you think you or anyone else may have taken too many OxyContin tablets.

Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning.

You may need urgent medical attention.

You should also follow the above steps if someone other than you has accidentally taken the tablets that were prescribed for you.

Keep telephone numbers for these places handy.

If someone takes an overdose they may experience difficulties in breathing, become drowsy and tired, lack muscle tone, have cold or clammy skin, have constricted pupils, have very low blood pressure or slow heart rate and may even become unconscious or die.

When seeking medical attention, take this leaflet and any remaining tablets with you to show the doctor. Also tell them about any other medicines or alcohol which have been taken.

While you are taking it

Things you must do

Take OxyContin tablets exactly as your doctor has prescribed.

Before you start on a new medicine, remind your doctor and pharmacist that you are taking OxyContin tablets.

Tell any other doctors, dentists and pharmacists who treat you that you are taking this medicine.

If you are going to have surgery, tell the surgeon or anaesthetist that you are taking this medicine.

It may affect other medicines used during surgery.

If you become pregnant while taking this medicine, tell your doctor immediately.

Keep all of your doctor's appointments so that your progress can be checked.

Tell your doctor if your pain is getting worse. Also tell your doctor if you are having any problems or difficulties while you are being treated with OxyContin tablets.

Tolerance to oxycodone may develop which means that the effect of the medicine may decrease. If this happens, your doctor may review your dose so that you get adequate pain relief.

Keep enough OxyContin tablets with you to last over weekends and holidays.

Things you must not do

Do not drink alcohol while you are taking OxyContin tablets.

Drinking alcohol whilst taking OxyContin tablets may make you feel more sleepy and increase the risk of serious side effects, such as shallow breathing with the risk of stopping breathing and loss of consciousness.

Do not take OxyContin tablets to treat any other complaint unless your doctor tells you to.

Do not give your medicine to anyone else, even if they have the same condition as you.

Do not stop taking your medicine, exceed the dose recommended or change the dosage without checking with your doctor.

Over time your body may become used to oxycodone. If you stop taking it suddenly, your pain may worsen and you may experience unwanted side effects such as withdrawal symptoms. This is called physical dependence.

If you need to stop taking this medicine, your doctor will gradually reduce the amount you take each day, if possible, before stopping the medicine completely.

Things to be careful of

Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how OxyContin tablets affect you.

OxyContin tablets may cause drowsiness, dizziness, hallucinations, disorientation, blurred vision or other vision problems or may affect alertness. If you are affected, you should not drive or operate machinery. Discuss these effects with your doctor.

Be careful if you are elderly, unwell or taking other medicines.

Some people may experience side effects such as drowsiness, confusion, dizziness and unsteadiness, which may increase the risk of a fall.

If you feel light-headed, dizzy or faint when getting out of bed or standing up, get up slowly.

Standing up slowly will help your body get used to the change in position and blood pressure. If this problem continues or gets worse, talk to your doctor.

Tell your doctor if you suffer from nausea or vomiting when taking OxyContin tablets.

If you vomit after your dose, your pain may come back, as you may not have absorbed your medicine. If this happens, speak to your doctor. Your doctor may prescribe some medicine to help you stop vomiting.

Tell your doctor if taking OxyContin tablets causes constipation.

Your doctor can advise about your diet, the proper use of laxatives or alternative treatments, and suitable exercise you can do to help manage this.

There is potential for abuse of oxycodone and the development of addiction to oxycodone. It is important that you discuss this issue with your doctor.

Side effects

All medicines may have some unwanted side effects. Sometimes they are serious but most of the time they are not. As for other medicines of this type, that is opioid analgesics, many side effects tend to reduce over time, with the exception of constipation. This means that the longer you take this medicine, the less it may cause problems for you. Your doctor has weighed the risks of this medicine against the benefits they expect it will have for you.

Do not be alarmed by this list of possible side effects.

Not everybody experiences them.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking OxyContin tablets.

This medicine helps most people with moderate to severe pain, but it may have unwanted side effects in a few people. Other side effects not listed here may also occur in some people.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.

Tell your doctor if you notice any of the following and they worry you: